mercoledì 23 marzo 2016

International Call

The French Coordination for the European Women's Lobby

INTERNATIONAL CALL

For the recognition of sexual and reproductive rights
as universal and inalienable
and respect for the physical integrity of women

While many international instruments of the United Nations, such as CEDAW in 1979 and the Beijing Platform in 1995 , provide ambitious and effective tools to make for the delay in gender equality and combatting violence against women , whereas the participation of women and youth is the 5th priority of Ban Ki Moon,Secretary General of the UN) second term , in the preamble of the final agreement of gender equality and women's empowerment while the COP21 in December 2015 , women's rights progressing very slowly or regressing in some states under the pressure of political conservatism and religious extremism hostile to women's rights. It is now recognized that the issue of inequality between women and men is a crucial issue in all States and is a major challenge for sustainable development for our century.

This year, the 60th CSW focuses on sustainable development and women's empowerment. But one can't speak of these without addressing the issue of violence against them, against their health, their physical integrity and their freedom of choice. While women's rights in particular include the right to education, employment and decent income, women can become economic actors in their own right only if they are able to choose freely to control their fertility and choose the desired number of children and when to have them. The recognition of women's right to control their fertility including recourse to abortion is essential to ensure their independence and dignity.

60 % of the world␣␣ population lives in countries where abortion is banned or severely restricted. Each year worldwide, five million women are hospitalized for severe complications from abortions performed under unsafe sanitary conditions. Every nine minutes a woman dies following an illegal abortion. This represents 13 % of maternal mortality worldwide.

70% of women experience violence in their lifetime. 700 million girls worldwide are married each year before the age of 18, often against their will. (WHO, 2014). 200 million women worldwide are victims of genital mutilation. Despite the medicalization of the practice, FGM has no medical justification, and affect the physical integrity, health and dignity of women. FGM has serious consequences on physical and mental health of girls and women (death, hemorrhage, urinary, gynecological problems, infertility, obstetric complications, stillborn babies...).

Accordingly, as legal and safe abortion is not accessible to all, many women continue to be exposed to the risks of illegal abortions, risking their health and their lives. Despite the increasingly sustained attention to violence against women and girls worldwide, the prevalence of violence -­‐ gender, sexual, physical, and psychological, within the couple, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, prostitution -­‐ remains high, with serious consequences on physical and mental health of victims. This is intolerable.

Because we believe that clandestine abortions, female genital mutilation and all violence against women are incompatible with human dignity, physical and mental integrity, health and respect for fundamental rights,

Because the right of women to control their fertility , including abortion , seen as essential to ensure their autonomy, around the world but this is underestimated, marginalized or even excluded from the matters discussed in numerous international meetings, under of cultural , religious and geopolitical pretexts, and that without this recognition there can be no sustainable development ,

We call for all women to freely dispose of their bodies and live in dignity, with respect for their physical integrity and without violence in all countries of the world. We ask that all women have access to family planning services, contraception and information about sexuality, We ask that the UN recognize as universal and inalienable sexual and reproductive rights. We demand the decriminalization of abortion, access to safe abortion and the abolition of female genital mutilation in all countries of the world to allow women to fully exercise their sexual and reproductive rights, immediately and unconditionally.

The French Coordination for the European Women's Lobby with the support of the high Council for Gender Equality beetwen women and men (HCE), the Fondation Jean Jaures, the International Alliance of Women, Femmes Solidaires, Excision Parlons-­‐en ! and the European Women's Lobby.

PLEASE SIGN THE CALL OF THE French Coordination for the European Women's Lobby FOR THE RECOGNITION OF SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS/ 60th CSW / March 14, 2016